Prologue
The Secret-Keeper
"Sirius, I want you to be our Secret-Keeper," James said gravely, looking his best friend straight in the eye.
Sirius nodded immediately, not even bothering to mull it over. The answer was yes, yes, yes; he'd do anything for James. "All right," he said.
"Dumbledore will be here tomorrow with Professor McGonagall to perform the spell." James said. Sirius nodded and slipped out the back of James's house as a dog, just in case someone was watching. The last thing they needed was for Voldemort to find out where Lily and James were hiding the night before they performed the Secret-Keeper spell.
Sirius rushed into Lily and James's house the next day, excited. Inspiration had struck last night, and he had a perfect plan---absolutely foolproof.
"James!" He yelled, running through the Potters' living room and knocking over a stack of magazines as he went. He ignored the magazines and rushed right into the kitchen, where Lily was flying a spoonful of baby food into Harry's mouth. Harry giggled happily as Lily made airplane noises, and he slobbered down the food, some of it dribbling down his chin.
"Hi, Sirius," Lily said, smiling at him as she loaded up another spoonful of baby food.
"Hi, Lily," Sirius said. "Hi Harry," he made a face, which caused Harry to giggle again and bounce happily in his chair. "That is one spoiled baby," Sirius said. Harry bounced in his chair in agreement.
Lily served up another spoonful and made more airplane noises. James, who had been washing dishes, turned around and glared at her.
"Are those airplane noises?" he demanded.
"Yes," Lily said, glancing over at James while feeding Harry another spoonful. "Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she wiped off Harry's chin.
"You're teaching our child airplane noises, when he will never ride one of those in his entire life?" James said.
"My mom made airplane noises," Lily said indignantly.
"Lily, dear, your mother was a Muggle," James pointed out.
"And?" Lily demanded, standing up and facing James with a threatening look. "Is there something wrong with my mother?"
"You mean besides the obvious?" James asked innocently. Lily's gaze turned to stone.
"Strike one," Sirius said, hoisting himself up on the counter. Lily glared at him too, then sat down at the table and made airplane noises for Harry as loud as ever.
"Lily!" James pleaded. "Please don't do airplane noises! Anything but airplane noises!"
"And what would you have me do? Broom noises?" Lily asked, turning around in her chair and giving her husband a Look.
"Precisely!" James smiled widely.
"Brooms don't make a noise, James,"
"They do if you put a rocket engine on them,"
"James! You didn't!"
"Didn't what?" James said, avoiding his wife's gaze.
"You know what I'm talking about! James!" She said, getting up from the table again and marching over to her husband, who had a very 'I'm-a-Marauder-of-course-I-put-a-rocket-engine-on-a-broom' look on his face.
"James!" Lily said again, but he refused to look her in the eye. "Oh my God," she said, putting her head in her hands. "A rocket engine, James? A rocket engine? And whose brilliant idea might THAT have been?" She asked, shooting a very pointed Look at Sirius, who also refused to meet Lily's gaze. Instead he twiddled his fingers and stared intently at the ceiling.
"It was a school broom," James shrugged.
"James!" Lily yelled.
"And that's strike two," Sirius said.
"Shutup, Sirius," Lily snapped, glaring at her husband. "We are not making rocket-engine-attached-to-a-broom noises to our son. Now, what is wrong with airplanes?"
"They're made by Muggles! Harry's never going to ride a Muggle airplane!"
"He might if he goes to visit his grandmother!"
"He can just use Floo powder for that," James shrugged.
"Not your mother, James. MY mother."
"Why in the world would he want to go see your mother?" James asked. This got Lily thoroughly pissed, and she turned and stomped out of the room.
"And that would be strike three," Sirius said, hopping off the counter. "So, James, I have a wonderful idea," he said, walking over to the table and sitting down in Lily's now-empty seat. He bewitched Harry's spoon to feed him on its own and make loud motorcycle noises as it did so. Harry seemed to thoroughly enjoy this, and Sirius smiled at him.
"What idea would that be?" James asked, going back to the dishes.
"Well, you know how you were going to make me Secret-Keeper?" Sirius began.
"Yes," James said, magically flying some dishes into a cabinet.
"Well, I was thinking, wouldn't it be brilliant if you made someone who could be easily overlooked Secret-Keeper instead? I mean, I'd probably be one of the first people Voldemort would go after. Now, if you made someone like, say, Peter, Secret-Keeper, no one would suspect. I mean, isn't Peter the last person you would suspect to be keeping a secret like that?"
"Well, yes," James said, turning around. "But I don't know. Peter has such little willpower. Do you think he'd actually be able to keep the secret if he WAS questioned?"
"See, that's the thing! He probably wouldn't be! That's the brilliance of the plan! And besides, we can trust Peter. It'll be great!"
James considered. "That's actually a really good idea," he said. "Peter is the last person anyone would suspect."
"NO!" Lily said, coming back into the room. "I will not have that rat protecting our secret. I don't trust him. It's either Sirius or Melody or Dumbledore. No one else," She crossed her arms and looked pointedly at both of them.
"Fine," James sighed. "Have it your way, Lily. Sirius will be our Secret-Keeper,"
The Secret-Keeper
"Sirius, I want you to be our Secret-Keeper," James said gravely, looking his best friend straight in the eye.
Sirius nodded immediately, not even bothering to mull it over. The answer was yes, yes, yes; he'd do anything for James. "All right," he said.
"Dumbledore will be here tomorrow with Professor McGonagall to perform the spell." James said. Sirius nodded and slipped out the back of James's house as a dog, just in case someone was watching. The last thing they needed was for Voldemort to find out where Lily and James were hiding the night before they performed the Secret-Keeper spell.
Sirius rushed into Lily and James's house the next day, excited. Inspiration had struck last night, and he had a perfect plan---absolutely foolproof.
"James!" He yelled, running through the Potters' living room and knocking over a stack of magazines as he went. He ignored the magazines and rushed right into the kitchen, where Lily was flying a spoonful of baby food into Harry's mouth. Harry giggled happily as Lily made airplane noises, and he slobbered down the food, some of it dribbling down his chin.
"Hi, Sirius," Lily said, smiling at him as she loaded up another spoonful of baby food.
"Hi, Lily," Sirius said. "Hi Harry," he made a face, which caused Harry to giggle again and bounce happily in his chair. "That is one spoiled baby," Sirius said. Harry bounced in his chair in agreement.
Lily served up another spoonful and made more airplane noises. James, who had been washing dishes, turned around and glared at her.
"Are those airplane noises?" he demanded.
"Yes," Lily said, glancing over at James while feeding Harry another spoonful. "Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she wiped off Harry's chin.
"You're teaching our child airplane noises, when he will never ride one of those in his entire life?" James said.
"My mom made airplane noises," Lily said indignantly.
"Lily, dear, your mother was a Muggle," James pointed out.
"And?" Lily demanded, standing up and facing James with a threatening look. "Is there something wrong with my mother?"
"You mean besides the obvious?" James asked innocently. Lily's gaze turned to stone.
"Strike one," Sirius said, hoisting himself up on the counter. Lily glared at him too, then sat down at the table and made airplane noises for Harry as loud as ever.
"Lily!" James pleaded. "Please don't do airplane noises! Anything but airplane noises!"
"And what would you have me do? Broom noises?" Lily asked, turning around in her chair and giving her husband a Look.
"Precisely!" James smiled widely.
"Brooms don't make a noise, James,"
"They do if you put a rocket engine on them,"
"James! You didn't!"
"Didn't what?" James said, avoiding his wife's gaze.
"You know what I'm talking about! James!" She said, getting up from the table again and marching over to her husband, who had a very 'I'm-a-Marauder-of-course-I-put-a-rocket-engine-on-a-broom' look on his face.
"James!" Lily said again, but he refused to look her in the eye. "Oh my God," she said, putting her head in her hands. "A rocket engine, James? A rocket engine? And whose brilliant idea might THAT have been?" She asked, shooting a very pointed Look at Sirius, who also refused to meet Lily's gaze. Instead he twiddled his fingers and stared intently at the ceiling.
"It was a school broom," James shrugged.
"James!" Lily yelled.
"And that's strike two," Sirius said.
"Shutup, Sirius," Lily snapped, glaring at her husband. "We are not making rocket-engine-attached-to-a-broom noises to our son. Now, what is wrong with airplanes?"
"They're made by Muggles! Harry's never going to ride a Muggle airplane!"
"He might if he goes to visit his grandmother!"
"He can just use Floo powder for that," James shrugged.
"Not your mother, James. MY mother."
"Why in the world would he want to go see your mother?" James asked. This got Lily thoroughly pissed, and she turned and stomped out of the room.
"And that would be strike three," Sirius said, hopping off the counter. "So, James, I have a wonderful idea," he said, walking over to the table and sitting down in Lily's now-empty seat. He bewitched Harry's spoon to feed him on its own and make loud motorcycle noises as it did so. Harry seemed to thoroughly enjoy this, and Sirius smiled at him.
"What idea would that be?" James asked, going back to the dishes.
"Well, you know how you were going to make me Secret-Keeper?" Sirius began.
"Yes," James said, magically flying some dishes into a cabinet.
"Well, I was thinking, wouldn't it be brilliant if you made someone who could be easily overlooked Secret-Keeper instead? I mean, I'd probably be one of the first people Voldemort would go after. Now, if you made someone like, say, Peter, Secret-Keeper, no one would suspect. I mean, isn't Peter the last person you would suspect to be keeping a secret like that?"
"Well, yes," James said, turning around. "But I don't know. Peter has such little willpower. Do you think he'd actually be able to keep the secret if he WAS questioned?"
"See, that's the thing! He probably wouldn't be! That's the brilliance of the plan! And besides, we can trust Peter. It'll be great!"
James considered. "That's actually a really good idea," he said. "Peter is the last person anyone would suspect."
"NO!" Lily said, coming back into the room. "I will not have that rat protecting our secret. I don't trust him. It's either Sirius or Melody or Dumbledore. No one else," She crossed her arms and looked pointedly at both of them.
"Fine," James sighed. "Have it your way, Lily. Sirius will be our Secret-Keeper,"